We went at the beginning of this month, as usual, to the monthly meeting of the
Canadian Geranium & Pelargonium Society, held at VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver. This month the "
2011 Pelargonium Seeds Exchange Project" was started, and we discussed various methods to grow pelargoniums from seeds and their degrees of success. For this project we donated
seeds gathered last Autumn from our Pelargonium Grossularioides / Coconut scented plants .
The 2011's challenge of this project to the club members will be to grow some special pelargoniums from seeds received from the
Geraniaceae Group in UK. The
Project phases include
planting them using sprouting method (eventually scarifying them),
note their evolutions and
share the results. The seeds should be planted in a well-drained soil and in good light, avoid over-watering and over-feeding and maintaining best conditions for growing.
We received one seed of
Pelargonium Alternans: a perfect candidate to become a bonsai because it is a low, stout-stemmed little bush. (it perhaps was given to us after the "Pelargoniums Bonsai" presentation we did in February meeting). It is a plant from seasonally dry climate which will make white-pink flowers with 5 red anthers.
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| Pelargonium Alternans description |
We received also:
- one seed of
Pelargonium Lobatum - a variety of pelargonium with tall flowering stems (70 cm high?) and almost black flowers, fragrant in night ;-) with petals edged with yellowish green.
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| Pelargonium Lobatum flowers |
- one seed of
Pelargonium Barklyi - a tuberous plant with dark green, deeply veined leaves, purple on the reverse which will bloom with quite large, pale yellow flowers.
- one seed of
Pelargonium Bowkeri - a summer-growing pelargonium with strange fringed flowers which should be keep dry over winter in its dormancy period.
Other members received also seeds of:
- pelargonium
Appendiculatum - hairy leaves finely cut from an underground tuber and pale yellow flowers;
- pelargonium
Auritum - winter-growing with dark maroon flowers;
- pelargonium
Articulatum - winter-growing, parent of Cliff Blackman's Zonartic Hibrid, with large yellow flowers;
- pelargonium
Echinatum "Miss Stapleton" , known also as
"Sweetheart Geranium" - winter-growing with flowers white-pink with a deep red spot - often heart shaped.
- pelargonium
Endlichenarium - originated to Turkey, summer-growing with bright pink two-petalled flowers. It can be grown outside in Vancouver's climate and some old plants (it is an evergreen plant) can be seen in the "Alpine Garden" at UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research.
- pelargonium
Incrassatum - winter-growing with hairy leaves growing from tuberous roots and purple-pink flowers
- pelargonium
Oblongatum- winter-growing with large, undivided leaves and pale yellow with red veining flowers
- pelargonium
Quinquelobatum - parent of "Creamery" yellow-flowered hybrids, summer growing with five-lobed leaves (characteristic which give it its name)
- pelargonium
Tongaense - looming more like an ivy-leaf but related to zonals with red flowers all the summer.
Another special plant, having the necessities to germinate in cold, the hardy
Geranium Pratense 
"Mrs. Kendall Clarke" will bloom with pale blue with lighter marbling flowers.
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| Geranium Pratense, Mrs. Kendall Clarke |
I hope the seeds will germinate well and in the next month or so, we will see how these plants develop, and I will be able to share some pictures with you.
.
and 
(my other ancestors) were known as fearless fighters under the Wolf-Dragon flag (named also "dracones"). The Wolf-Dragon banner, having a Wolf head ending through a Dragon tail, was symbol of the brotherhood and bravery of the warriors and also a symbol of the immortality and protection against evil forces.
as a companion for a short period. He possess a high intellect and is making himself very well understood using body movements, subtle sights and vocal expressions... anybody wants to have such qualities ;-)
's wilderness, cruising and 
, the pearl of Africa ;-) 
